Who hasn’t thought about chucking all their belongings and starting over in a smaller or more organized space? A surprising number of people are doing just that—for a variety of fascinating reasons, including the public’s need for affordable housing, concern for the environment and desire for a simpler lifestyle.

Not only are they the stars of cable TV shows, books, websites, blogs, workshops, conferences and even Tedx Talks, tiny abodes have moved past novelty status to become the primary residence for 10,000-plus people in the U.S., according to estimates.

Some believe the pint-size homes are a backlash against the ever-increasing size of new houses—2,687 square feet in 2015—and the bite that housing takes, with some folks spending a third to half of their income just for shelter. “There’s a paradigm shift in housing in general,” says Darin Zaruba, who compiled the small-house stories for the book Turning Tiny. He predicts we’ll see more and more people of all ages seeking out smaller, more affordable homes.

Meet the folks who traded square footage for a smaller, simpler way of life—and are happy they did.

‘It’s been such a relief’Brandon Irwin in Manhattan, Kansas

(Courtesy Brandon Irwin)

“Living in a tiny house has freed up a lot physical and mental energy,” says Brandon Irwin, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Kansas State University. “It’s been such a relief.”

A self-described minimalist, Irwin, 35, didn’t have to get rid of much (a treadmill he ran on twice in 10 years) before moving from a rental to his 360-square-foot tiny home in mid-November. Irwin and a few friends, including one who is an experienced carpenter, built the structure over several months at a cost of $40,000 for the materials.

His bed’s in one of the two lofts, and the house has everything he says is “most important,” such as an office and a kitchen “where I can cook just about anything.”

It only takes him 10 minutes to clean his entire house, and he shares his space with Jimmy, an Australian shepherd.

Irwin’s house sits in a mobile home park five miles outside of Manhattan because it’s not yet legal within the city limits, a common problem for the tiny-house set. He’s volunteered as the Kansas state chapter leader for the American Tiny House Association, an advocacy group dedicated to encouraging cities to accept tiny homes and to develop a legal definition. He’s also involved in a research project with another Kansas State professor studying the potential health benefits of tiny home communities.

‘It’s all about sustainability’Vera Struck in Newbury, Massachusetts

(Courtesy Vera Struck)

Solar power. Renewable energy. Water harvesting systems. A composting and urine-diverting toilet. Vera Struck’s tiny home, nicknamed the Silver Bullet, is all about sustainability: 75 percent of the healthy, nontoxic materials used are reclaimed, recycled or repurposed. Her Biolite cooking system even recharges her cell phone and computer.

In December 2012 Struck was a cancer survivor who decided to challenge herself by designing, building and then living in a tiny home. It took two years, and she did most of it by herself, at a cost just under $20,000. The house has a 135-square-foot main floor plus a 65-square-foot bedroom loft and a 40-square-foot storage loft.

“I was scared of power tools,” she says. “But I was running a miter saw after a day.” She credits Derek Diedricksen, host and designer of HGTV’s Tiny House Builders as her mentor.

By the end of June, Struck, 67, will have logged more than 15,000 miles traveling the country in her tiny home as a sustainability advocate and educator (terrabluteams.org). She recently won the Best Tiny Home Award from the 2016 Florida Tiny House Festival.

She sees the tiny home movement giving individuals more control over their lifestyles, with no energy or water bills or mortgage.

‘We did it for our family’Gabriella and Andrew Morrison in Ashland, Oregon

(Courtesy the Morrisons)

“We had moved into the perfect house that we’d been eyeing for years,” Gabriella Morrison, 47, recalls. “But six months into the big house, we noticed our family dynamics eroding.”

The couple wasn’t spending as much time with their two kids, then ages 11 and 14. The time together was “combative and strained,” she says. “Everyone scattered to opposite corners of the house.”

The financial burden was greater than anticipated for the self-employed couple, with increased stress and more hours spent working, even on weekends. Cleaning and upkeep of the larger house took more time too.

Intrigued by the tiny house movement, the Morrisons sold their home, their son went to boarding school in Colorado to pursue his passion of playing hockey and they took their daughter to live on the beach in Baja, Mexico, in a pop-up tent trailer.

They nearly gave up during the first 30 days. “Then we realized living with the least was the happiest we’d ever been,” Gabriella says.

Five years ago they bought five acres in the mountains near Ashland, Oregon, and built their own tiny home, spending roughly $8,000 for the trailer and $33,000 for materials, including appliances.

They’ve lived in their tiny home more than three years, with about 5 percent of the possessions they used to own. The house has a total of 317 square feet: 207 on the main floor and 110 in the lofts.

For the sake of privacy, they built sleeping cabins for their son, Paiute, now 20 and in college, and their daughter, Terra, 17, who just graduated from high school. Paiute’s is a 10-by-16-foot tree house and Terra’s space is 10 by 12 overlooking the hills.

“That big beautiful house just didn’t make sense anymore,” Gabriella says. “We’re creating our own definition of what home is for us.”

You can see more photos of the Morrisons’ tiny home and even learn how to build your own tiny house at tinyhousebuild.com.

‘Fill your life with experiences, not things’Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

(Expedition/Rex Shutterstock/AP Photos)

Traveling videographers/bloggers Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons, 33 and 41, respectively, are exploring the heart and soul of the tiny home movement across the U.S. and Canada.

The simple-living advocates (@TinyHouseX on Twitter; @tiny_house_expedition on Instagram) invite curious folks into their 130-square-foot house wherever they park along the way. They’re more than happy to tell visitors how “this movement is creating more sustainable housing, more meaningful lifestyles and more connected communities,” Stephens says.

They’ve put together an informative docu-series, Living Tiny Legally, that outlines what every tiny house dreamer needs to know, and you can watch their adventures at Tiny House Expedition on YouTube.

‘I’m living a dream’Jewel D. Pearson in Charlotte, North Carolina

(Glyn A. Stanley Photography)

She may live in a house with just 360 square feet, but Jewel D. Pearson, 49, has a walk-in closet, a bathroom that’s “like a spa,” a Juliet balcony off her bedroom and a fold-up screened-in porch.

“You don’t have to give up luxuries to live in a tiny house,” she says.

Pearson knew she wanted “to live a lighter lifestyle” after her daughter left for college. She started a decade of downsizing by selling her four-bedroom, three-bath house, and moved into a series of smaller homes until she ended up renting a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment.

She considered buying an RV but threw out the idea as too expensive and turned to a tiny house.

A business consultant for Wells Fargo, Pearson says she used her project management skills to spend one and a half years researching and designing her future home, with the help of her sister and a friend, both interior designers, before hiring a general contractor to build it on a 28-foot trailer at a cost of $80,000.

She moved into her new home in May 2015.

“It’s not as mobile as an RV,” Pearson admits, and it does require a tow service to move. But with reduced expenses, she has the freedom and flexibility to travel.

Her tiny home is parked in the large backyard of a property owner she connected with through Craigslist and is hooked up to electricity and water.

“This is my dream,” Pearson says. “I have all the benefits of a beautiful home.”

‘Just enough off the grid’Kay Mardis in Spur, Texas

(Courtesy Kay Mardis)

Spur, Texas—population somewhere around a thousand, the locals say—declared itself the country’s “first tiny house friendly town” by city proclamation in July 2014.

Since then, more than 60 lots have sold and 11 people have moved into tiny homes in the town, according to developer and builder Danny Schallenberg. There’s no minimum size for houses, although tiny homes on wheels must have them removed and be anchored on cement pylons or foundation.

Texas native Kay Mardis, who retired in 2009 after a career in banking, wanted to simplify her life. She sold her house, got rid of most of her possessions and lived in an RV for a year and a half while deciding what to do next.

After buying a tiny house with about 400 square feet, vaulted ceilings and extra windows from a builder in Grandview, Texas, she needed a place to put it. That’s when Spur caught her attention.

Mardis, 74, purchased a lot for $500, then spent $5,000 clearing and developing it and getting connections to city water, sewer and electricity.

In December 2015, she moved in. “There’s plenty of room,” Mardis says, even when her daughter and granddaughter visit and spend the night on inflatable beds.

“I wanted to be off-grid but, ultimately, this was the best option for me,” she says. “It’s the perfect size for one person.”

AMG/Parade Digital

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